Episode One: How I Came to Like My Teacher ―July 2032―

This is the story of how I came to like my teacher.

A schoolgirl liking a female teacher might seem a bit unusual to others, but from my perspective, it was simply that the person I happened to like was Kakei-san. It’s nothing more than that – just one of those commonplace love stories you hear about everywhere.

This love affair began in July of my second year of high school, when I failed my final exams.

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My friends often say, “Meisa, you never seem to last long with boyfriends, do you?”

　Idols or manga – I get hooked, then when I get bored, it’s over. Right, next. Isn’t that normal for everyone? Why is there this attitude that it’s somehow unacceptable when it comes to romance? I don’t get it.

Isn’t romance just one fleeting form of entertainment? I’m still only in my second year of high school. There are loads of other fun things besides romance. Do I have to be in love?

I don’t understand that feeling of ‘liking’ someone romantically.

　If the day ever comes when I genuinely fall for someone, well, my whole world would surely be turned upside down.

—Or so I thought, idly waiting for that day to arrive, when my everyday life was suddenly shaken to its core.

“This is bloody awful.”

I let out a surprisingly sharp voice, right there in the middle of the classroom after school.

　My gloomy mood stemmed from the recent final exams. Having failed my Language and Culture paper, I was now stuck with a week of after-school remedial classes starting today.

“It’s Meisa’s fault, isn’t it? I never imagined you’d fall asleep ten minutes in!”

My best friend, Suzuka, who’d avoided failing any subject, laughed. I’d never failed anything before. In fact, my grades were usually near the top of the class… and yet!

“But it was ‘that guy’ who made me sleep-deprived! I know it sounds lame to blame others!”

“Kou’s been acting up again lately, hasn’t he? Are you alright, Meisa? You must feel uneasy alone at night. Want to stay over at my place for a while?”

“Thanks… I’m fine for now. Anyway, I’ve got to go to remedial classes.”

“Right. Let me know if anything happens. See you tomorrow.”

After parting with Suzuka and leaving the classroom, I trudged towards the second elective classroom in the west building where the remedial lessons were held.

I couldn’t help but grimace.

“Meisa.”

I’d been called by the voice I’d least wanted to hear lately.

“Ugh. Wataru… Were you lying in wait? I’d rather you didn’t.”

　I couldn’t suppress my disgust; it showed in my face and my voice.

“You won’t talk to me unless I do this, right? Hey, seriously, is there really no way we can start over? Surely you’ve calmed down by now, Meisa?”

“You’re persistent. I’ve told you countless times it’s impossible!”

Even saying it this harshly, this guy absolutely wouldn’t back down. He wouldn’t give up on me. That’s why my tone inevitably grew harsher.

“I understand why you dumped me now. That’s why I… I’ve reflected. I can handle things better now.”

My irritation with Wataru, who always spoke only for his own convenience and never truly understood my feelings, grew steadily.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve got extra lessons now. Bye. Don’t talk to me again.”

Feeling utterly fed up, I walked away from Wataru at a brisk pace. …Even a guy like him was, until two weeks ago, technically my ex-boyfriend.

He had a reputation for being handsome, kind, and dependable. When we were just friends, he was a decent guy. When he confessed his feelings, I thought, ‘I might be able to like this person’… but in the end, it just didn’t work out.

　I couldn’t develop romantic feelings for Wataru, so I ended things myself after three months.

Even when we were together, Wataru was terribly possessive and controlling. That hasn’t changed since we broke up; he’s convinced that dumping him was just a momentary lapse of judgement. He stubbornly believes that if he fixes his flaws, I’ll fall for him again, which is why he pesters me relentlessly every single day to get back together.

　Because of him, my time is wasted and my mental health suffers, so I couldn’t focus at all on studying for this test. What’s more, during the classical Japanese test, I actually fell asleep. I ended up failing for the first time in my life.

　After sighing for what felt like the umpteenth time today, I straightened my back. Well, complaining won’t help. I’ll just do the bare minimum to get through this week, while trying to boost my standing with the teacher to avoid extra assignments.

“Hello there.”

I greeted her cheerfully as I entered the classroom. Kakei Rio, the Japanese teacher in charge of the remedial session, was already prepared and waiting.

“Right then, let’s get started with the extra tuition.”

“Eh, wait. Is this extra tuition just for me?”

“Yes. Let’s work hard this week.”

The one-on-one situation and her matter-of-fact tone made me smile wryly. It was the same in regular lessons, but Kakei-san was someone who had no ‘play’ in her, or rather, she was super serious. I’d never seen her engage in small talk.

　Always the same dark jacket, white top, and slacks. Her unkempt black hair, tied back in a single ponytail, looked as though it had never been dyed.

Her serious nature combined with her appearance meant that Kakei-san’s nickname, known to every student in this school, was ‘The dull, serious, inflexible teacher’.

Trying to boost my rapport with someone like this through conversation was a tough challenge, but I was up for it.

“Sorry, miss. My fault you’re finishing late, isn’t it? I’ll work hard to finish this assignment quickly, so can we wrap up early?”

“No. The time is strictly fifty minutes.”

I let my shoulders slump slightly. In her regular classes, I could slack off as much as I liked, but in one-to-one tutoring, I had no choice but to actually do the work.

　Yes, Kakei-san is simply taken for granted by her students. She’s notorious for never reprimanding anyone, whether they’re sleeping or playing on their phones during his lessons.

As someone who believes a teacher failing to properly discipline students is inadequate, I never had a high opinion of Kakei-san to begin with. What’s more, after just a few conversations since arriving here, I’ve already concluded we’re fundamentally incompatible – we’re just different species.

Having given up on popularity, I pulled my tablet out of my bag. Figuring it didn’t matter if I couldn’t leave early anyway, I idly started solving problems, only to find them harder than expected and furrow my brow.

Oh, for goodness’ sake. Seriously, nothing’s going right lately. Half-heartedly, I ploughed through the problems.

“Time’s up. Let’s begin the explanation.”

After about thirty minutes, the teacher stood up. First, they explained the author, then smoothly outlined the text’s intent, before moving on to explain the key points and solution methods for the problems I’d spectacularly got wrong.

At first, I thought, ‘Hang on, I can follow the explanation without a hitch – I’m actually quite clever, aren’t I?’ But I soon realised why.

　…Huh? Listening properly, are the teacher’s lessons actually easy to understand?

Or rather, the fact that I’m the only one in remedial lessons means no one else failed in the teacher’s regular classes. I’ve heard several students failed in the other classes taught by a different Japanese teacher.

　Since Kakei-san had been our teacher since Year 1, I hadn’t realised, but could it be… she’s actually quite good at teaching?

Then why doesn’t she tell off students who skip class? If she were stricter, her class’s grades would surely improve significantly, boosting her own reputation.

“Why don’t you get angry when students sleep during your lessons?”

“Whether they study or not is their own choice. As they grow into adults, they gain more freedom. I believe it’s important for students to consider how they use that freedom while they still are students.”

“Huh… Suddenly sounding very teacher-like, aren’t you?”

“As a teacher, as an adult, if there’s something I can teach children, I will pass it on. But I digress. We have ten minutes left. I’ll continue with the explanation.”

　A clear line was drawn to prevent lessons and casual chatter from mixing, while another thick line was drawn to emphasise that adults and children have different positions and perspectives.

For the remaining time, I listened to the teacher’s voice from the ‘other side’.

I noticed for the first time that their voice was neither too high nor too low – a calm, clear, and easy-to-hear tone.